1. Field of the Invention
Ammunition feeder chutes are used to provide support to an ammunition belt as it moves from the ammunition box in which it is housed to the feed slide of a machine gun. A primary requirement of a feeder chute is that it should be able to function at any angle and position of the weapon without snagging whilst the machine gun turret is in motion.
2. Discussion of the Background
Conventional feeder chutes comprise segments formed from a metal such as steel which are articulated to one another by means of separate connections formed between the segments. It has been found that the flexure of a belt of this type along the longitudinal axis of the belt is limited. One type of conventional feeder belt allows for twisting of the belt about its longitudinal axis by providing rigid metal segments with relatively complex multi-component pivoting mechanisms. Metal belts of this type are susceptible to corrosion, metal fatigue and permanent deformation by way of buckling and bending.